The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Many mobile computing devices such as cellular phones, tablet computers, notebooks, etc., incorporate global positioning system (GPS) applications and related hardware. When actuated on the device, the GPS applications may communicate with a GPS transmitter or other GPS hardware on the device and a backend application server to provide a digital map of an area around the device's current position to a user, as well as label data and place page data. While traveling, a tourist may use a web-based or other mapping system to display a map of their proposed destination. Similarly, because these computing devices are mobile, users travel with the devices and use them to display maps of unfamiliar destinations. Likewise, users may use these devices while in their local area to display maps of familiar destinations.
Typical mapping systems generate and display identical maps for every user. For example, the mapping system may receive a request from both a local resident and a tourist for a map of a particular area. In response to the request, typical mapping systems return identical or nearly identical maps regardless of whether the requestor is a local resident of the requested map area or a tourist visiting or searching for the same requested map area.